The Thin Line
by Shimizu Asuka
Summary: SasuNaru AU/High School setting. Naruto hates the ever popular Sasuke, but will be surprised that their feelings are not mutual.
1. One: Naruto

**Chapter One**

. . .

 _'It's a cold walk this morning'_ Naruto thought as he trudged to school. He nestled into his orange scarf and continued down the sidewalk. _'Finally'_ he thought as the school came into view.

There was a hoard of girls clustered around something or someone… "Sasuke" Naruto said as if cursing under his breath. His number one rival. He burrowed further into his scarf hoping to be invisible as he walked past the hoard. He was. He always was. No matter what he did he was always invisible to everyone except a few teachers.

He walked to his first class early so that he could sit and rest as heat returned to his body. "Good morning, Naruto," Iruka-sensei said as he placed his books and teaching materials on his desk.

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said with his usual smile. Today Iruka could sense that something was not quite right with Naruto.

"Is everything okay?" Iruka asked knowing he would not get a truthful response.

"Everything is great!" Naruto said with a thumbs up and a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Good to hear," Iruka said with his usual smile, "as long as you know you can talk to me."

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said bowing his head.

The rest of the class started to file in. There was a pause after the last person walked in and then a cluster of girls who were squealing got stuck in the frame of the door.

 _'Sasuke…'_ Naruto thought, _'you are not as cool as you think you are.'_ Naruto scoffed as he watched Sasuke sit down. He acted completely oblivious to the girls who were fighting amongst themselves to sit next to him. Naruto's head quickly snapped to the front of the room as Sasuke's eyes scanned the room and met his. Naruto could feel his face flush from the embarrassment of being caught looking. _'Damn Sasuke.'_

As the class began, Naruto settled in for what he knew would be a long hour of English.

. . .

"Lunch time!" Naruto said quietly seconds before the bell rang for lunch.

"Hold on, just one more minute..."Kakashi-sensei said as everyone was mid-stand. "I have posted the list of lab partners near the exit so please have a look as you're leaving. We will meet in the lab tomorrow."

 _'Which Sasuke fan girl will I be stuck with this time?'_ As if I frog dissection wasn't bad enough... he would have to do it himself. Same as always.

Looking at the list as he walked up to it, he easily found his name near the bottom:

 **Uzumaki, Naruto** . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **Uchiha, Sasuke**

 _'WHAT?! This isn't happening. No. Please. No.'_ "Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto said walking over, "Please switch my lab partner."

"There are many people who want to partner with Sasuke, I thought you would be pleased. He is top of the class and the help couldn't hurt." Kakashi said scratching the back of his head as he did when he was uncomfortable.

"I can't work with him. This is crazy. If I can find someone to switch with me would you accept that?"

"No. You won't always like who you work with. While unpleasant, it is a valuable skill." Kakashi said sighing and turning away. At this point, Naruto was resigned to his assigned partner. "Oh... and if you don't show up for class tomorrow I won't be able to give you a passing grade in my class," he added.

"Understood, Sensei," Naruto said numbly and turned around to see the back of Sasuke's head apparently reading the list of partners. Which was completely unnecessary as he had obviously just heard the whole conversation. _'Damn it,'_ Naruto thought, _'I don't need another reason to be hated.'_ Sasuke looked so tense, Naruto could barely breathe as the waves of hatred coming off Sasuke were tangible in the air.

"Don't worry," Sasuke said in an icy voice while he turned around and met Naruto's eyes, "I won't make this any harder than it has to be."

Naruto broke the eye contact with Sasuke and walked out of the room. Naruto could've sworn that he saw pain in Sasuke's eyes for just a moment before it turned to anger. With a determined expression set on his face, he continued to march past the wall of girls that had accumulated outside of the classroom and were chattering excitedly among themselves. His head held high as he walked straight out of the building to his usual lunch spot.

. . .


	2. Two: Sasuke

**Two**

. . .

 _'Naruto can be such an obnoxious ass sometimes,'_ Sasuke thought as he walked out of Biology. He had specifically asked for Naruto as a lab partner because he kept getting fan-girls who wouldn't pay attention to anything. They would just sit and stare at him and daydream he supposed. Doesn't really matter what they were doing, it was incredibly annoying. Naruto didn't give him the time of day, so in theory he should be able to focus and finish early. At least... that was what he told Kakashi-sensei. No one knew... he kept it hidden close to his heart... encased in ice.

. . .

Sasuke remembered how everyone used to treat Naruto. They had picked on him because he was different and alone. Naruto wasn't particularly good at anything other than being a class clown. As the students grew and progressed through their education, Naruto was no longer picked on. But he wasn't included in anything either. Always the last one picked on in gym. Always ate his lunch alone. Sasuke wished that he wasn't so damn popular so that he could have befriended Naruto. Then neither of them would be alone. Sasuke was alone. Sure, he was followed around at school by those people that wanted to be popular, or girls that thought he was 'cute'. Sasuke didn't have friends, no one really knew him. Perhaps the mystery and reclusiveness that he projected made him that much more interesting.

There were images that came to mind when he thought of Naruto. How when it's cold, he burrows his face into the orange scarf he always wears around his neck. How he never looks around to see if anyone is looking at him because he thinks they aren't. There are new images too. Images that made Sasuke feel hurt and angry, like watching Naruto asking for a new lab partner. Or meeting his eyes when Naruto realized that he had heard every word... like a deer caught in headlights.

Sasuke walked through the hallway, barely registering that people were trying to talk to him. "It's really terrible that Naruto is your lab partner... I'll be your lab partner Sasuke-kun", "Sasuke-kun, I brought this for you".

Sasuke whirled around and the mass of people behind him stopped walking and talking. "Please..." he started, not knowing exactly what he was going to say. "Please stop vying for my attention. I'm not interested. I'm not special. And I will not date you." He abruptly turned and walked away. He was almost out of the building when the outrage started among the mass. "How rude!", "I can't believe he said those things", "Who does he think he is!".

Sasuke smiled to himself as he opened the doors to the cool air and took a deep breath. Freedom. Finally.

. . .

Sasuke walked around the building a few times before he saw that there was a mostly hidden pond down a hill in a wooded area. Thinking it might be a nice place to go and be alone he set course and meandered over to the spot.

As he got closer to the pond, he heard a free and gentle laughter bubbling up from someone who had beaten him to the spot. As he got closer he saw orange and realized that it was Naruto. _'So this is where he goes,'_ Sasuke thought before trying to get closer. There was a squirrel that was slowly trying to sneak up on Naruto to take a peanut that was clearly meant for him. Naruto kept trying to move it further and further away from his body so that the timid creature would take it. _'So kind'_. But Naruto had always been kind, even when he was being picked on growing up.

"You're alone. That's new," Naruto said lazily without looking.

"What?" Sasuke said amazed that Naruto had noticed his presence. Naruto whipped his head around and Sasuke could see that he was shocked.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto responded frantically. "You shouldn't be here."

"It's good to see you too," Sasuke said to himself. "I was just passing by... I didn't think that anyone would be here."

"Leave." Naruto said with finality. _'Well isn't he rude today,'_ Sasuke thought, _'but then... he would be. Finding out that I'm his lab partner.'_ Sasuke winced as if he had been hit and turned away.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Sasuke asked. "Please, I just want to know... and then I'll leave."

"How about the fact that everyone loves you, you are the top student in every class without any seeming effort, you have a posse of girls and some boys that follow you around where ever you go, you constantly have a smug look on your face..." Naruto said with conviction, and then much quieter added, "You're never alone."

Shaking, tears flowed down Sasuke's face as he listened to the list of reasons why Naruto hated him. He couldn't make his body stop shaking. He could hear in Naruto's voice that every reason he listed off indirectly related back to himself. Naruto thinks everyone hates him and so he would naturally hate anyone who was revered as popular. _'Why didn't I realize it sooner? I'm such an idiot!'_

Sasuke started to walk as strength returned to him. He couldn't tell if he was crying because Naruto obviously hated him, or if because he could hear how alone the boy really was.

"Just walk away. That's what everyone does," Naruto said quietly but loud enough for Sasuke to hear. Sasuke winced again. ' _How can someone who acts so happy keep all of this bottled inside. Why hasn't he exploded yet?'_

Sasuke went back to the school building and was not followed as he stopped at his locker before going to calculus.

. . .


	3. Three: Naruto

**Three**

. . .

Naruto was sitting near the pond as he usually did during lunch. He threw a handful of whole peanuts on the grass a few feet away. The squirrels, that had been eyeing him since he'd sat down, quickly scampered down the trees they were clinging to and started to nibble on the shells. The squirrels sat on their hind legs and Naruto found the quiet crunching comforting. One peanut was closer to him than the others and one squirrel was inching foward like it was going to grow legs and run away if he approached too fast. Naruto let out a soft chuckle and startled the little creature who jumped and tore off for the safety of the trees. Naruto laughed in earnest and sighed, _'It's so calm here'._

Behind him there was a soft rustling. _'It's earlier than usual,'_ Naruto thought, _'and only one today...'._

"You're alone. That's new," he said casually not wanting to frighten the animal.

"What?" replied a male voice as the rustling stopped. Naruto snapped his head towards the sound of the voice and was so surprised that he froze. Nobody came down to the pond, it's off school property so it was discouraged. No one ever said anything to Naruto though, they were most likely relieved. _'Why on earth is Sasuke here? Where is the hoard of girls?'_ Naruto thought snapping himself out of the surprised stupor.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto said starting to panic. This is the first time that he had seen anyone at the pond, it almost felt like an invasion. "You shouldn't be here." He was starting to get angry now. Sasuke was so entitled that he could go wherever he wanted and no one batted an eye.

"It's good to see you too," Sasuke said under his breath, but Naruto still heard which upset him even more. _'The nerve...'_ "I was just passing by... I didn't think anyone would be here."

"Leave," Naruto said, anger still building inside of him. He continued to stare at Sasuke and noticed a visible twitch before he turned around.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Naruto could only stare at Sasuke's back as his mouth fell open. "Please, I just want to know... and then I'll leave." Naruto collected his thoughts before responding.

"How about the fact that everyone loves you, you are the top student in every class without any seeming effort, you have a posse of girls and some boys that follow you around where ever you go, you constantly have a smug look on your face..." Naruto said starting to lose some of his anger, and then much quieter added, "You're never alone." Naruto hated Sasuke for everything the boy had that he didn't. Plain and simple.

Naruto kept watching Sasuke and could see that he was shaking. _'He must be really angry,'_ he thought watching Sasuke take slow steps away from him.

"Just walk away. That's what everyone does," Naruto said quietly but loud enough for Sasuke to hear.

Naruto turned back to the water, _'That was unexpected.'_ He heard another rustle in the woods a few minutes later. Naruto slowly turned his head expecting to see a fist coming at him. Instead he saw a doe with her young fawn. "You came," he said quietly with a smile. Naruto reached into his bag and pulled out two apples, set them down on the ground and moved away. He watched the two deer make quick work of the apples, the fawn moved closer to him lowering its head. Naruto reached out and touched the fawn's head gently, as if it would break. It made a small sound which he took for approval before bouncing off into the trees with its mother. Naruto smiled, _'You're welcome.'_

The bell rang and Naruto scrambled to gather his things and raced back to the school before he was late. _'At least I don't have a class with Sasuke again until later'._

. . .

 _'Man, I feel bad about what I said to Sasuke at the pond,'_ Naruto thought as he got up to walk to his last class of the day. Sasuke brought out anger in him that no one else did.

When Naruto walked into the classroom he sat in the back row at the desk furthest from the door. He was staring at the blank page on his desk but looked up just as Sasuke walked into the room. Their eyes met for a moment before Sasuke looked away and sat in the other corner in the back row. Naruto noticed something was different, it took him a moment to figure out what it was. _'There's no one following him around... I wonder what happened?'_

As the class started, Naruto tried to pay attention but it was so difficult this late in the day because he could barely sit still. He wanted... something but couldn't put his finger on what it was. He felt a prickle on the back of his neck and glanced over Sasuke's way, the boy was staring at him. Naruto tried to apologize for earlier with his eyes but he noticed that Sasuke's eyes held no anger.

"Sasuke?" the teacher asked from the front, noticing that Sasuke wasn't paying attention.

Sasuke recited the answer the teacher wanted to hear while his eyes continued to delve into Naruto's. _'Show off,'_ Naruto thought. Naruto managed to peel his eyes away from Sasuke by turning his head to the front and focusing again. He felt heat flush on his face again, ' _What the...'._

He felt a burst of energy and freedom as the last bell rung and the students raced out the door.

Naruto stopped at his locker before leaving school for the long walk home. He dropped off his school supplies and bundled up before closing the metal door with a bang. He snuggled into his scarf, knowing that this would be the last traces of heat he would feel for a while. He turned to walk down the hall towards the exit and saw Sasuke walking alone, just about out of the building. When Naruto reached the door, he saw Sasuke get into an expensive looking car and talking to the man in the driver's seat. _'Must be his brother,'_ Naruto thought. He'd heard some girls talking before about Itachi. Naruto braced himself before opening the door and walked down the steps to begin his journey.

Mind racing, Naruto walked quickly through the cold until he reached a run down house. Walking up the rickety steps he unlocked the door and walked through. The smell of alcohol was almost tangible. Jiraiya was at it again...

"Hey kiddo," Jiraiya said from the couch in the living room.

"Hey," Naruto said, before going to the stairs to his room.

"How was school?" Naruto heard from behind him.

"Fine," Naruto replied continuing to ascend the stairs. He reached his room and shut the door behind him. It's not that he particularly disliked Jiraiya, he just didn't get close to anyone anymore. He'd been bounced around too many homes and had learned not to get attached.

Laying down on his bed he thought about what had happened today. He had a feeling that things were not going to be the same any more.


	4. Four: Sasuke

**Four**

. . .

"Hey," Sasuke said as he got into the car with Itachi.

Itachi continued to stare ahead without responding as he shifted the car into gear. Sasuke was always trying to get his brother's attention, but he had come to the conclusion that Itachi hated him. The rest of the drive home was uncomfortably silent. Sasuke wondered why Itachi even bothered to pick him up from school. _'Whatever,'_ he thought as he slouched in his seat. _'It's been like this my whole life.. it's never going to change'._

The car pulled onto the grounds of the Uchiha estate. Sasuke didn't even register the mansion that he was looking at... all he saw was his own personal prison. with his parents as the guards and his room was the cell. His parents wanted Sasuke to be like Itachi, his father only acknowledging him when he surpassed expectations. _'I'm not the same person, so his standards are ridiculous'_ Sasuke thought but still tried to meet them anyways.

He got out of the car and walked toward the house. The door opened as he reached the top of the stairs and he walked through the door into the spacious entryway. He made a beeline for the stairs and rushed up before he could be ambushed by one of his parents.

He made it to his room uninterrupted and felt relief as he shut the door quietly. He leaned against it and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor. Finally he removed the barriers controlling his thoughts and let his mind wander free.

' _So much happened today,_ ' Sasuke thought. Small memories came to mind, like the sound of Naruto's laugh by the pond. The way he fought Kakashi about having Sasuke as a lab partner. The way he got lost in Naruto's eyes in class, the kindness and remorse that those eyes held. Sasuke had been completely entranced by Naruto and hadn't been able to turn away. He had felt his heart flutter for the first time because of Naruto. ' _How did I let it get this bad?_ ' Sasuke wondered as his head fell into his hands. The only thing he ever really wanted for himself was the one thing he could never have.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," he said to his empty room, smiling. Picking himself up off the floor and going over to his desk. He set his school work on his desk and sat down to do some homework. He was able to focus for about twenty minutes before images of Naruto's big blue eyes were all he could see. There was pressure and heat starting to build between his legs. 'Damn it, not again,' he thought irritated. He was unable to control it anymore, he was just thankful that it didn't happen at school very often. He shifted his pants until he was comfortable and let Naruto take control of his thoughts.

. . .

The next morning Sasuke was in the lab early, he was so excited that he got to spend a full hour near the object of his affection. He wished that he could let it show but instead was stoic as usual. He busied himself with work for other classes while he sat in the lab and other students started to trickle in. Sasuke looked at his watch, _'8:30 Naruto, you should be here by now,'_ he thought worried that he had decided to not show up.

There were hurried footsteps in the hall as a familiar face came into view. Naruto was panting in the doorway while he searched for his seat. He noticed Sasuke and was careful not to make eye contact. He slowly walked towards the bench Sasuke was sitting at and made a conscious effort to sit as far away from him as he could. _'He looks silly sitting at the edge of the desk like that,'_ Sasuke laughed inwardly.

"Good morning everyone," Kakashi said as a few more stragglers entered the biology lab. "I hope you are all sitting with your assigned lab partners because we are going to get started right away!"

There were a few muffled groans and a few girls complaining that they didn't want to touch a dead frog.

"All the supplies you need are lined up here," he pointed to the counters behind him. "Please take one of everything. Also, make sure you follow all the instructions I have outlined for you," he held up a piece of paper and set it back down on the pile. "Begin." Kakashi went to sit at the teachers desk off to the side.

The students continued to sit and looked at each other, not wanting to be the first to get up. _'They're just frogs,'_ Sasuke thought as he stood up. Naruto looked up at him a moment before following. The two of them went up to the front counter and grabbed what they needed to complete the lab. They both stopped when they reached the bucket of dead frogs. The smell was atrocious, but Sasuke grabbed a frog with the tongs provided and placed it on the tray in Naruto's hand. Naruto cringed at the sad looking creature while he followed Sasuke back to the bench. When they reached their desk, both of them noticed that everyone was staring at them.

"Hello," Kakashi said loudly from the corner. "Get started or we will be doing this again tomorrow!" This knocked the other students out of their stupor and they got up to get their own supplies. When Sasuke could tell people had stopped paying attention to him, he looked over at Naruto who was doing his best not to look at Sasuke. Naruto had been the one to pick up the list of instructions so Sasuke leaned over to take them. He placed the paper in between the two of them so Naruto could see it too. Naruto inched closer so that he could read the paper without holding his neck at an awkward angle.

 _'He's so stubborn,'_ he thought as he watched Naruto carefully out of the corner of his eye.

"So I guess we start by cutting the thing open and pinning it to the tray," Naruto said still looking at the instruction page.

"Yes," Sasuke said. "Did you want to do it or should I?"

Naruto grabbed the scalpel, "I'll do it... Oww."

Sasuke watched as Naruto picked up the wrong end of the scalpel and cut himself. It had been so fast that he could do nothing to stop it. "Go see Kakashi-sensei, I'll get this started," Sasuke said concerned.

"Thanks," Naruto said making eye contact for the first time, he looked confused for a moment. Sasuke nodded as Naruto got up putting pressure on the cut.

Sasuke followed the instructions laid out on the paper and watched Naruto out of the corner of his eye. Naruto exited the lab and Sasuke figured that he was going to the nurse to get a few stitches. 'He should be back soon.'

Sasuke was drawing the inside of the frog and labeling the different parts when Naruto walked back in 15 minutes later, white as a sheet.

"That was dumb," He said sitting down beside Sasuke. "Wow, you've done a lot while I was gone." Naruto said discouraged.

"You'll catch up, it's not hard," Sasuke said with a small smile.

"Says you," Naruto said to himself as he pulled out a pencil to start drawing.

"If you just get it drawn, I'll help you with the labels," Sasuke said before going back to his own drawing. He could feel Naruto's eyes on him for a moment and felt a slight stir between his legs again. 'Again? Really?' He thought as he pushed down his feelings and continued working.

. . .

To Be Continued


End file.
